TV Review: TED LASSO

Ted, center, surrounded by his colleagues.

Now in its second season on Apple TV+, Ted Lasso is the best escape entertainment right now, ever since The Kominsky Method ended. (And The Sopranos and The Crown, of course, both of which barely need mentioning since everyone already knows, and which are still available to see thanks to modern technology).

Even though he is a fictional TV character, Ted is my new role model. If we were all like him, the world be a better place. Jason Sudeikis, the actor who plays Ted, just won the Emmy for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. He is definitely great, but the show's writers, whose names I don't know and who may or may not have also won awards, are the responsible parties. They conjured up someone who likely does not and could not exist: an all-loving, all-forgiving man with a great sense of humor who bakes fabulous cookies for his friends and dispenses wisdom to fit any occasion. He's sort of a cross between Socrates, the Pope and Robin Williams.

On the down side, Ted's an anxiety-ridden mess given to panic attacks who consistently ignores his inner demons. (God knows how since he doesn't use drugs and only has the occasional beer or two.) He comes from someplace in Kentucky and speaks with an accent that's difficult to understand much of the time.  (Here's where that super technology comes in; we often stop and rewind two or three times to catch the dialog.) And Ted's constant stream of inside jokes referring to old TV shows and movies can be off-putting to young viewers, and sometimes even older ones. Then there's the fact that after his divorce he took a job as a soccer coach in London, an ocean away from his young son who he now sees only on Zoom calls. Bad idea.

Still, he's fair-minded and wise and cares about everyone, all good traits to have. Best of all, his supporting cast is fabulous too. I wish I could have them all over for dinner.